T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
January, 1934
26
Yes, you are right. This is Sugar White. He is sweet, but this is not what Christ meant when He said, “Ye are the salt of the earth.” John, see if you can tell us the name of the next brother. From the face you are making, I think this must be Soda White. Soda is good to use in cooking, but that is not what Christ meant when He said, “Salt of the earth.” Mary, we will let you try to name the next one. It is difficult to tell by the taste, so I will help you. It is Starch White. Starch makes, clothes stiff, but it cannot be used for salt.
your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” Many times when we need things, we forget to pray to God for them. We worry and fret and try to do things for ourselves and forget to trust in God. We forget to trust, although many, many years ago that is the way Jesus taught His dis ciples was the right way, and what Jesus said to them was written down in the Bible for us to read. If we would be happy, we must do as Jesus says. Golden T ext Illustration A father came home one evening intoxi cated for the first time in his life. His boy met him on the doorstep, clapping his hands and exclaiming, “Papa has come home!” The father seized him by the shoulder, swung him around, staggered, and fell in the hall. The boy’s head struck a marble step, and he was instantly killed. The wife, who was ill, was thrown into .............................. .
Ruth, what do you think the next brother’s name is ? “I do not know. It bites my tongue.” “Yes, it does bite. It is Baking Powder White. Lois, we will let you taste the next. Yes, his name is Flour White. Flour is very useful, but it does not take the place of salt. Paul, will you name the last one? “Salt.” . Yes, this is Salt White. Christ wants Christian boys and girls to be the salt of the earth, causing people to be thirsty for the Water of Life. The taste tells what kind of Christian they are. minds were closed to all proof that the Lord might offer them. But the Lord proceeded to give them further proof in attestation of His claims. He would prove that the word concerning forgiveness was real by healing the sick man before their eyes. In doing so, He showed His patience with unbelief and His wish to change it to faith. The scorners’ charge of blasphemy was just and reason able while they thought Him a mere Man, but now with proof of His deity before them, the charge became unjust. Today, in the light of all that Jesus has done, any un belief is as it was then, unjust and unrea sonable. _The healing of the sick man was imme diate and complete, done in such a manner that all who beheld were amazed and glori fied God (v. 8). But they did not glorify Jesus Christ, thus showing their rejection of Him. They were “afraid,” because they felt themselves in the presence of the Holy One, but they would not accept Jesus as the Holy One. The healing of this sick man convicted them, but it did not convert them. Faith is not seeing a deed per formed but believing a word spoken. II. T he S ervant C alled (9 ). Matthew was a publican, one who was scorned by his employers and despised by his own race. The publicans were tax gath erers for the Romans who leased the busi ness of gathering taxes to renegade Jews.
FEBRUARY 18, 1934 JESUS’ POWER TO HELP M atthew 8:1 to 9:34
Lesson Text: Matt. 9:1-13. Golden T e x t : “I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Matt. 9:13).
“ Ye are our epistle . . . known and read of ail men” (2 Cor. 3:2). Living illustrations (ex amples) of the power of the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ—such are believers called to be. May 1934 be a year in which God’s children will more vividly than ever be fore witness before the world “a good confession.”
Outline and Exposition I. S ickness H ealed (1-8).
ere is what has been called the first Christian Endeavor Society. A group of men had a friend who was sick of the palsy, and there was no one to heal him. They heard that Jesus was in the house, and they attempted to get the sick man to Him. But, according to the account in the Gospel of Mark, so great was the multitude that these friends could not get to Jesus. They then went upon the roof, and cutting a hole in it, they let the sick man down into the room where Jesus was. To get the sick man to Jesus was more important to them than an or derly meeting. They had a heart interest in the afflicted one, they had faith that Jesus could heal him, and they brought him. They faced a real difficulty, but they overcame it. They had strong faith, and they manifested that faith by their works (vs. 1,,2). When Jesus saw their faith, He gave the man the greatest blessing He could bestow upon him, by saying, “Be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee” (v. 2). Per haps the Lord saw some connection be tween the man’s sins and his sickness, and perhaps the man knew of this connection also; these words would prepare him for the healing of his body. Opposition was at once manifested by the scribes who stood by (vs. 3-5). Be cause they thought of Jesus as a mere Man, they charged Him with blasphemy. Only God could forgive sins, and here was a Man presuming to exercise the rights of God 1Their attitude was of course because of their lack of faith—“the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith” (Heb. 4:2). They had the Word as the others had, but they lacked the faith the others exercised in that Word. The others believed and found blessing; these did not believe and charged Jesus with blasphemy. Thus it is today. The opposition was unspoken, but Jesus knew even the unexpressed thoughts (vs. 4, 5). The unbelieving ones were reason ing “in their hearts,” and Jesus immediately answered them through their ears. The very fact that He could read their inmost thoughts should have convinced them that there was One who could not commit blas phemy. But the event proved that they were settled in their unbelief, and their
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convulsions by the tragic scene. And that night, that father and husband, a strong man of thirty-five years, slept a drunken sleep, while his boy lay a corpse, and his wife was upon the brink of the grave. One year later, the man was laid in the cemetery by the side of his wife and child. The minister who related this incident was a guest in that home on that fatal night, and witnessed the tragedy. E—T he I nstructor . Object Lesson T he W hite B rothers Objects : Six jars, graduated ip size, filled respectively with sugar, soda, starch, baking powder, flour, and salt. Lesson : I have six brothers in my hand bag this morning. I shall take them out and see if you can guess their names. Be fore introducing them, I want to remind you of the words of Christ, “Ye are the salt of the earth.” Salt is used to keep things from spoiling. The world would be much worse than it is, we're it not for the fact that the Christians are in it. Then, too, salt makes people thirsty for water. Many unsaved people become thirsty for Christ, the Living Water, because of the life of some Christian. Here are the six boys. They are dif ferent in size, but they all have a family resemblance. Some one will have to taste each of them to guess their names. Bill, what does this taste like? “Sugar.” BLACKBOARD LESSON
iiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiim “ Be thou to me a rock of habitation, whereunto I may continually resort” (Psa. 71:3, R.V.). Tempests m ay rag e,, winds of opposition may blow, and scorching af flictions may sear—but our Rock of habitation re- maineth! Let us forsake earth's flimsy habitations and continually r e s o r t unto Him who is a Shel ter from the wind, and t Covert from every tem pest. - llllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
BLACKBOARD LESSON B essie B. B urch
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